Making Magic for an Old Story | Concept Corner: HEARTLESS #4

[@ABDIllustrates]

Hi hi, thanks for stopping by! I can’t believe it’s been nearly two years since the first one of these! 🤯 Thanks so, SO much to all of y’all who’ve continued to encourage me to carve out a lil’ space like this to talk about my story ideas. These videos always take a lil’ while and a lot of effort to make, but it really means the world to see that my characters and the worlds they occupy are something that people can have fun with - even just through the small bits and pieces that I’m able to share in these videos. Thanks again 💛 (Also, I said as much in the video, but I’ll probably have a poll on my community tab soon so that you guys can vote for what you’d like to see in the next one of these!) (Also Also! - (since I tend to get a LOT of questions about this series, both here on KZbin and in my various inboxes) - I figured it might be worth including a lil’ written disclaimer at the start of any Concept Corner videos going forward. Hopefully it makes sense and helps to answer any of those sorts of FAQ’s! 💖)

[@sobble821]

Cidhehrh I love this video so far so so much! I have some idea for Flints power names because you said you were taking suggestions! -Scintillation (or some mix of that word) -Pyre -Bonfire

[@esmeblaise]

Please keep making heartless content! Its so interesting and has inspired me to revamp one of my old stories! Seeing how you redesign and develop the world and characters is really informative and fun to watch

[@Subterranean_sebastian]

I would love to see some kind of video where you just draw some self indulgent heartless content while you talk a bit more about how the main cast work with each other

[@sao432]

I love the conceptual inspiration of your characters and, naturally, your art! Every one's inspiration, their antithesis, the archetypes and fun little twists to each one. It is beautiful to see it coming to shape. One thing, and maybe a little too on theme for the other characters but maybe a good alternative name or a 'revealed' name of Heartless' ability as it develops and they wield it better (or even during a dark ark of their story development) could be "Entropy", but it also seems far too positive an ability as it renews the use of energy/magic and reshapes it. Seems much more a rebirth or reincarnation. Still, entropy seems the most hungry of all forces, but also kind of aligns with Creed's in an oddly morbid dichotomy.

[@inky8741]

Fun Fact just because you mentioned Hermes and river and medicine, the staff of Hermes the caduceus which is often used to represent medicine has nothing to do with medicine, the caduceus is actually attributed to trickery, thieves and merchants, which kinda says a lot about society if you think about it... On the other hand Rod of Asclepius is actually attributed to medicine which is why you see it sometimes over the caduceus

[@_telling_tales_]

Alex slapping the roof of the Heartless characters: these bad boys can fit so much queer metaphors in them

[@abriicotier4775]

don't forget nd metaphors as well 😔😔

[@DollFaceThornback]

Abd: these bad boys can fit so much me!

[@anothercub6958]

WE LOVE A SET OF OCS THAT REFLECT THE CREATOR'S PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND STRUGGLES

[@tacossmiley]

I can’t stop making queer characters help- no body is cis anymore

[@BeauxBeetles]

@@anothercub6958 YEAH WE DO!! also i do the same so it's nice to just see someone also just shoving bits of them in what they love

[@ancorealm]

I’ve just listened to the intro and wanted to say that the reason I personally enjoy Concept Corner is because I get to hear your thoughts on things like character design or worldbuilding! Just hearing you talk about your creative process is what brings me back, because it can be really beneficial to hear about others and their processes. I’m very happy to see a new episode, and it’s just what I think a lot of us wanted when we hoped for a new Concept Corner :D

[@Sofia-ge6wm]

YES THIS VERY MUCH THIS!!!

[@lafeaschronicle3218]

I have to agree I love hearing people talk about the characters and world in there stories

[@seminormaltheartist917]

Yes!! And I sometimes get inspired by his world building!!

[@Lumio_rose]

Agreed! And getting to see someone’s process helps inspire and motivate creating our own stories!

[@ashm.5964]

I've listened to this entire series probably at least three times over because not only do I love the creativity and energy in each video but can I say that his voice is so calming too? Like, something about his voice makes me so unbelievably happy and helps me focus tremendously for whatever reason- It's the perfect background noise if you don't want to listen to music lmao

[@themysticarcher3313]

My personal headcanon is that Moira and Alchemy could’ve put Eira in his own room but looked at the fire and ice powers and just went “omg what if they were roommates”

[@bealikestodraw]

omg they were roommates

[@ThezillyestIdiot]

yes.

[@bella_daze3092]

They shared a braincell

[@andrewsd.r.7180]

Perfect

[@Misty_Grey744]

*chefs kiss*

[@KadeKuro]

I could imagine river having a finishing move where she turns the dial of something down to zero, calling it "Flatline"

[@WeatherInOrlando]

THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS

[@megangrant4124]

OH MY GOSH THIS IS PERFECT!

[@biozmic1543]

You have no idea how much i love this

[@kermitbutworse]

Oh my good imagine if she did that with the energy flow thing, like what Flint can see. She could just go “flatline” and then someone just *drops*

[@CaffeeNated]

this could be very cool, but turning something to zero could have un-inteded concequensec and is very likly to kill someone, so i don't think she would use this on anyting other then maybe gravity cause anything else could outright kill a person

[@chang9576]

I think it'd be cool that as a result of Glass, Doppel has no reflection, since Glass literally IS his reflection. I can also imagine Doppel often has to coax Glass out of a puddle or shop window or somethn because whenever Glass gets scared, he just jumps into the nearest reflection

[@Claire-h4nt]

That is a truly brilliant concept! I hope that if Heartless becomes a proper comic, something like this is implemented

[@thestranger954]

I think, and hear me out, it could be a super interestin, if a little sad reveal, that Dopple is the reflection and Glass is the original. Like, Glass was this cowardly kid left completely alone in a city that at best wanted nothing to do with him and at worst actively hunted him. Eventually, the isolation got to be too much, and he wished to have someone by his side. Someone brave, funny, and confident. Someone willing to face the worst the world can give with a smirk. His opposite. After he made him, he let Dopple believe he was the original and did adventures with his new brother, unwilling to let him go.

[@noctuabird]

@@thestranger954 omg your a genius

[@dragonblade4125]

@@thestranger954 oooh, that would be a really cool reveal and make a lot of sense considering his backstory (like, would a runaway rich kid living on the streets and hiding his identity to survive a sinister organization really be that confident and self-assured?) But at the same time, I feel like that kind of switcharoo plot twist might be throw a lot of confusion into Dopple and Glass’s self-discovery journey and be difficult to handle properly. It would be an amazing idea if handled properly though! Here’s my own take of Dopple and Glass: Dopple threw himself into a facade of overconfidence (a parallel to the actually overconfident Alchemy) to survive on the streets without getting taken advantage of and hid “weak” traits like fear, compassion, and honesty within him. These hidden traits come out through Glass (who he created out of his loneliness and fear and need for a companion). Maybe part of Dopple’s hostility towards Glass is actually him rejecting the traits he hid away for survival (essentially rejecting himself, which seems obvious considering their two halves of the same person but has a lot more weight when you consider it seriously), deeming the hidden side of himself shown in Glass to be weak because of his rough experiences on the streets. Also, neither Dopple or Glass is the original or the whole, they are both parts of him (his shown self being Dopple and hidden self being Glasses), but they stay separate because Dopple Glass, especially the Dopple part, has trouble accepting himself after assimilating himself so far into the confident Dopple facade. Dopple and Glass can share emotions and later share thoughts and synchronize more and more on his journey to self acceptance, eventually having a bittersweet goodbye to their companionship (which isn’t needed as much because he has his new friends to keep him company and neither of them will disappear because they’re one person) as they combine into a whole and get a huge power boost.

[@broblerone413]

@@thestranger954 this is such a good idea, i love stuff like this! kinda reminds me a bit of how jekyll and hyde were characterized in the webcomic The Glass Scientists, it's really super interesting and pretty sad in a way

[@tairneanaich]

Hooooo man, River using her magic all her life and not realising bc nobody had explained it to her and bc she had no frame of reference for what life would be like without it? BIG “neurodivergent kid doesn’t get diagnosed for years” energy. MASSIVE mood.

[@beedoesthings8037]

I feel like there’s something to be said about that specific metaphor being attached to a black girl as well

[@ariamelody5560]

This happened to my entire family at once, and not just my close family, MY ENTIRE DADS SIDE. My sibling was very obviously ADHD, so we got her diagnosed and realized that we ALL HAD IT

[@ccherry.berryy]

OOOOOOO YES

[@broblerone413]

oh yeah definitely, it's super relatable, especially for afab poc. for so many years i thought everyone felt and thought the way i did because i didn't have a frame of reference for what's considered "normal" or "different", and so i had no idea i was nd (especially since i had already been labeled as a 'gifted kid')

[@broblerone413]

@@ariamelody5560 oh yeah my mom's definitely got undiagnosed adhd but she says how my sibling and i feel and act is normal because it's the same way she behaved before subconciously learning to mask

[@laraschroeder5195]

An Eira and Lance ship would basically be that one tumblr post that says: “Marry a blacksmith to get free swords whenever”

[@itsturtlefacemydudes]

get a polyarmory in here stat

[@solstice_soda701]

@@itsturtlefacemydudes get enough people in a polycule to successfully pull off a heist

[@itsturtlefacemydudes]

@@solstice_soda701 the gays deserve many smooches and swords, as a treat

[@yamikumomidoriya8272]

@@solstice_soda701 and possibly a lot of murder

[@helendocherty6324]

Lance: it's free real estate

[@msf2399]

How much do you want us to ship Eira & Flint? “Well, they have blue/orange color schemes, narrow/bulky frames, swordsmaster/brawler styles, and ice/fire powers respectively… Oh, and they were *roommates!”*

[@nuggetillustrations383]

Exactly

[@tashholly3346]

Blue guy and red guy❤️❤️❤️💙💙💙

[@RuviGaPo]

This is so true 😂😂

[@--5265]

omg they were *ROOMMATES*😨

[@lilimeowkitties5766]

vine

[@respectfulevil9022]

ive always had this funny image of creed using his curse to cancel flints magic but then flint just decks him anyway

[@jhamanrai]

Yes, but also consider Creed doing this to River, but she still manages to deck him anyway because Flint’s been teaching her self defense and he’s very proud of her

[@pretty_annoying_cloud4208]

Omg I would love that so much

[@Misty_Grey744]

Omfg YES

[@anthonydavid3348]

Honestly? As dumb an idea as it is, maybe Flint calls his magic “Just Fire”. It’d be a pretty fun contrast with his overly elaborate martial arts naming conventions, and/or a signifier that “yeah, I’m a witch, but that’s not nearly all I am”

[@sicksalt7765]

I love that

[@lilyannavalley6057]

That’s a good idea

[@pixelblaze8284]

I read this as like Just Fire, like the fire is used for justice and was confused for a second thinking about moral arson😂

[@bo0mpalo0mpa66]

Okay but Heartless’s ghoul friends purposely tripping Heartless. Or them comforting him when times are too rough. Or eating grass and then immediately spitting it back out.

[@yourlocaldemon2195]

P O T E N T I A L

[@quintessential7515]

YES. YES. YES

[@true_neutral781]

Heartless taking to an inn keeper trying to convince them that “oh no sir we’re not witches at all, just a normal group of travellers” and one of the ghouls rising up from behind the counter and heartless just pushing is back out of sight.

[@jellofeather2617]

@@true_neutral781 *y e s*

[@1sk1erka]

@@true_neutral781 and the little ghouls wear hats/glasses and small coats as disguise, and everyone goes "yup that looks like a normal human"

[@passedthevibe-check141]

Imagine Eira's magic finally manifesting in like, full-blown ice armour and then he freaks out because he can't get it off and he starts to freeze over and everything else starts to freeze. So Flint has to calm him down and thaw him out. So much shipping fodder.

[@ariamelody5560]

YES YES YES

[@resident_of_hyperbolic_space]

OMG YESS A SCENE LIKE THIS WOULD BE SO COOL

[@L0rdOfThePies]

and like reassure him about his magic whilst using his combustion to thaw him out gently. Like specifically having to remind Eira that his magic is cool and awesome and noones judging him. Gay gay homosexual gay!!

[@kaboom3487]

I LIKE YOUR FUNNY WORDS MAGIC MAN 🤩

[@ThezillyestIdiot]

This is my head canon now thank you

[@GogoOhOh]

Maybe the little ghouls Heartless summons could be called “Starving Specters”? Gives Grim Grinning Ghosts vibes

[@lightningjules658]

honestly just going the jojo route with naming everything after songs and albums is just a win in my book, so if it were me i'd just straight-up go for grim grinning ghosts

[@DaniSiegel700]

STARVING SPECTERS IS SO GOOD

[@princesscrystalofthejewelw9178]

YAH! This is good!

[@isky6541]

Nice one! Love it

[@cartoonaddict6493]

they like to be social XD

[@lolli_popples]

Moira: Take off your shoes on the way in. River: *Takes off legs*

[@enigma3238]

OMG I Love this

[@timealoukota1687]

River: Okay *jumps on the back of Flint and proceeds to take off her legs* Will you take me to my room, please?

[@mavenheavrin7357]

Heartless tries to princess carry her (because he's nice like that) and immediately starts struggling.

[@midhatsyed1034]

​@@mavenheavrin7357Aww that's cute!

[@tabbytheneko5290]

I feel like the Jury's view point on their own powers is something like "This isn't magic its a gift from God to strike down the bad Witches" kinda thing

[@alekya815]

Exactly what I was theorizing! I think it’s a very cool concept, and very fitting as I’m pretty sure Alex referenced the Salem witch trials in the villains video.

[@BeauxBeetles]

hate to bring real world influences of nasty folks in but it's kind of like that tiny teeny minority of religious folks who have the full "I am enlightened and perfect and It's us and them- and they're bad!" mentality i guess?

[@17ZZZ74]

@@BeauxBeetles I thought that was exactly what they were saying?

[@coralia.i]

it's like how majority of the women who get abortions are christians and most christian women who like- supported getting rid of abortion had abortions themselves and just said it didnt count cause god would have understood (sorry about politics this is the first comparison this immediately made me think of)

[@Frickll]

I think it’d be more of a “this curse was placed on us by witches to hurt us so now we’ll use it to destroy them all.” Type deal. But this is definitely a cool aspect I didn’t think of

[@hollyflights]

Alex: Flint and Eira might be roommates! Everyone: Oh my God they were roommates

[@BeauxBeetles]

and it was that moment that i opened up a notes file and listed all the ship routes (as well as all of their pros and cons) Alex could take Eira on and which equally gay pairing I could make fanart for

[@MintyMonth]

Just wondering btw is Flint gay? Because abt 2 episodes ago ABD said something about that ‘he liked the ladies’ or something

[@krabkrab_]

@@MintyMonth The quote youre thinking of was actually talking about Sanji from one piece, Flint doesn’t have a canon sexuality yet but me personally i think he could be Bi?

[@derdrakkar]

ABD: "His power is called hungry ghoul" Me: Huh, that's kinda dark and contrasts with the character being fairly cheerful... ABD: "It's fairly unusual of a name" Me: ...but the evil sounding power for the protagonist is a cool idea, because it sets up potential plot developments ABD: "It sounds festive" Me: What.

[@vallendrael]

Yeah, that instantly reminded me, that ABD likes Halloween because of the festive mood. xD

[@purpleisdebeste]

I mean compared to "Grave Robber"

[@BeauxBeetles]

Word of advice, When ABD Illustrates says festive, nine times out of ten it is about Halloween, which is entirely reasonable because the vibes around that time? Delightful.

[@DollFaceThornback]

Abd: festive :D You: h-how???

[@frozenfan390]

I have a theory that heartleas’s magic is actually a type of curse. Like the villains

[@PhilFromhec]

I feel like heartless’s little ghouls are like chaotic little gremlins to everyone but Heartless. Like, to him, they’re essentially just funky looking doggos. They’re good boys.

[@user_murrow2005]

Everyone: AAAA get yo [ghouls] man Heartless: They don't bite :( Everyone: YES THEY DO-

[@v3rycherrybomb]

​@@user_murrow2005HAHA YES

[@DaeyOutt]

As soon as you brought up Heartless being struck by lightning I immediately thought of how you could turn it into a running gag, he could just be a natural lightning rod so every now and then (it wouldn't even have to be raining) he could just be hanging out with his friends and then he get struck by lightning and while they all show concern, he's just laughing saying something like, "Oh don't worry about it guys this happens all the time, my body can just kind of absorb it I guess." and if it's not raining they would probably be confused and maybe the newest member at the time would be like, "Where did the lightning even come from?" while the rest are pretty much used to it.

[@idontknowhowigothere5474]

I NEED THIS TO BE CANON.

[@broblerone413]

YES OMG this would be hilarious, also it kinda happens irl too: once someone's been struck by lightning once, they gain a kind of charge that makes it more likely to happen again

[@Q.Brainrot]

They all walk outside, River is the current newest member. Heartless: And then I was like "In yo-" *gets struck by lightning* River: *Already getting ready to use their ability* "OH MY GOODNESS!! ARE YOU OKAY!?!!?!" Heartless: *nonchalantly dusting the soot off* "Yeah, that happens sometimes I guess :)"

[@janina8574]

Like Some kind of comedic pointe, eg when he's really upset about sth and just finished his rant and then bam lighting and now he's even more pissed

[@KittyBot.Creates]

Maybe its like a natural storm detector, like on their way back to Moira's heartless gets struck by lightning and the team is just like "huh storms coming better take shelter" and the newer members are just like "WTF DID HE JUST GET STRUCK BY LIGHTNING!?!?" A hilarious gag any other way lmao I really want this to be canon now

[@bluejay43]

You mentioned Glass being able to move through reflections, and that immediately made me think that, if the group ever split up for a mission, the team could have a set of mirrors that they carry around, and if anyone needed to deliver a message, Glass could play messenger using those mirrors. Like he shows up in the mirror and the teammate could tell him a message, which he would just move to the other mirror and communicate that to the person. Kinda like a magic cellphone.

[@tweeptwee]

thatd be so interesting im also imagining a sort of risk factor -- as in , what if there was a way for glass to get *stuck* in a mirror ? it would make for a really interesting story development , and have to focus a lot on how much doppel and glass trust their teammates , and how they got to that point im mostly imagining it not *working* if the reflections get shrouded in dark , or covered in smoke -- having glass being inside of that place while that happens just rendering him completely stuck until it ends

[@peak-male-perfomrance]

that could lead into a conflict where glass either mishears or get so overwhelmed with messages to relay that he ends up getting the messages wrong and the gang has to work around a classic game of (magick) telephone

[@bluejay43]

Dopple could also be very nervous about letting his brother use the mirrors, as it seems the two brothers don’t like to be separated from each other. Maybe there’s a point in the story where Glass gets trapped in a mirror and Doople doesn’t want him doing it anymore.

[@L0ver0fHumanity]

@@bluejay43 But on top of that, could be an interesting arc for Glass because maybe he WANTS to do that, because he doesn't wanna be afraid anymore and actually do stuff.

[@kirbo2932]

What if glass gets trapped in the mirrors and doppel dies and glass can’t do anything about it but since glass came from doppel he just slowly fades away and there’s a big sad episode about them and everyone is sad

[@JadenTSlime]

That "Final technique" Flint is learning could totally be "Solveig School of the Sun Roads Wandering Arts One's Own Path: Flint,"

[@sopapopp]

That incredibly long anime name gives me joy

[@anothercub6958]

I just love that idea because then it just brings his arc full circle. An understanding of himself is what was needed to control his magic, and the soul searching quest he goes on to find his final technique is just his self-actualization, the moment he truly knows who he is, the future he wants, and how he's going to fight for it.

[@JadenTSlime]

@@anothercub6958 Yup. Very "Wherever you go there you are" or "In spite of everything it's still you"

[@BeauxBeetles]

@@sopapopp same

[@justalonelywriter4852]

I had this funny idea where Flint knows this forbidden technique that can only be used to save someone you care about or something like that. And one day Flint sees Eira about to be killed by Lance and the big reveal is that Flint just bites Lance.

[@lime5276]

Picturing Flint slowly teaching Eira to be less afraid of his own magic, leading at least indirectly to him developing his icesmithing technique, then a long arc where the two are separated, then Flint being knocked down in battle facing a killing blow, and them reuniting as Eira marches furiously onto the field in a full suit of ice armor to save him... (muffled screaming)

[@LineaDoesWhatever]

⭐️ ⭐️ /// W \\\

[@lemmetalkaboutthis]

(muffled screaming inspired by your comment)

[@Akiro_Mahe]

* intense shipping*

[@user_murrow2005]

Ohhh my goodness that is a brilliant idea, I was thinking everyone tunes in on helping Eira with his magic. Heartless could absorb some of his magic to help try figure it out with him, and maybe river and flint would do training sessions with him

[@lime5276]

@@user_murrow2005 Omg that idea with Heartless is so cool!! Also if River can control intangible things maybe that means she can control emotions? So she could reduce Eira's anxiety to calm him down and help him train?

[@jdd11529]

Alchemy: Prepare for trouble Also Alchemy: And make it double-

[@kpxla5945]

Feminine Alchemy: To denounce the evils of truth and love! Masculine Alchemy: To extend our reaches to the stars above!

[@nategolie2208]

@@kpxla5945 Fem: Alchemy Masc: Alchemy

[@ryeartvt]

@@nategolie2208 Fem: team Alchemy blasts off at the speed of light Masc: surrender now or prepare to fight Heartless: YEEEP THAT RIGHT!!!

[@grapefruittango4707]

Doppel: Hey, *I'm* the one who's supposed to make things double!

[@saffronsagodlyherb5838]

Alchemy's feminine form: to denounce the evils of truth and love Bandy: to extend our reaches to the stars above! Alchemy: where did you come from?

[@indywebber9008]

One of the parallels I love about Flint and Eira: Eira is icy and cool and structured in power, but comes off as very hot-tempered, erratic, and wild/unorganised, at least at the beginning before he begins to refine his creations and discover the depths of his power and so on And in contrast, Flint's magick is named combustion, which isn't just fire, it's explosive flames. But in contrast, he's calm and collected, the metaphorical rock of the group. It's nice to see the pyrokinetic being the level-headed one, and the "ice prince" being the hot-tempered punk. Plus, Flint being bulky and large and weilding flames? Best hugger right there. He gives major mom-friend vibes, I'm telling you. ALSO DOPPEL AND GLASS It may sound a little weird to say BUT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE DOPPEL AND GLASS. THE BOISSSs Alchemy, Doppel and Glass could most definitely team up to pull off the Team Rocket speech, and Doppel totally has "Meowth, that's right!" energy. I adore Doppel and Glass so much and I am highkey eyeing my sketchbook right now and gahhhhhhh their entire vibe and aesthetic and character and portrayal I adore them I realise it's going to be a while until something like this will become published because this is a massive project to pull off but I am already proclaiming myself an OG Doppel and Glass fan

[@indywebber9008]

I can just see. So many shenanigans for Doppel and Glass. Their dynamic alone has so much potential without including anybody else. Also, I really like the idea of Glass being the only one able to travel through reflections, not Doppel. Getting kind of angsty, but I can definitely see a scene, possibly pre-"canon" or early on in the story where Doppel is cornered by the Jury, and Glass is forced to flee through the reflections to find help in some way. This would be super interesting, because Glass is the "scaredy-cat" of the pair, so it's a coincidental reflection in that, when in trouble, he's the only one that can flee if cornered.

[@thedyingmeme6]

Doppel, Glass, and Alchemy would _absolutely_ pull of some Team Rocket (TM) Shenanigans. I am also a fan of them, they are Gobling

[@MaddieTheThousandRavens]

Flint has golden retreiver vibes ngl

[@berryxvxnilla2375]

THE Dopple and Glass fan.

[@HostileReptile]

these are some of my thoughts: the idea that when Eira gets embarrased instead of his face going red, icey snowfakes appear on his face. when i heard Eira had a dad and you liked princess bride i said: oh no... but also the idea of you drawing his dad saying "you seem like a nice man id hate to kill you." honestly im loving this series and hope to see more of its journey!

[@sheppin_]

Oh my god the snowflake blush idea is so cute!!

[@phxntom8972]

Instead of his hands getting clammy they start frosting up and he starts producing light snow falling around him.

[@olgamarinha_]

Snowflakes instead of redness is amostly canonic omg

[@CherrrE]

I'm going to draw that now because if it isn't cannon you know what they say it may not be cannon but now its fannon

[@DepressoDad]

I love how Alchemy’s pronouns were changing throughout their entire synopsis. It’s just little details like that that really make me appreciate the character.

[@claran3616]

Like Alex from Magnus Chase!

[@DepressoDad]

@@claran3616 I loved that character too! Idk, but whenever their pronouns shifted, they *felt* different too. I’ve never experienced that with any other fluid character I’ve read about.

[@lilacpen8678]

Is that what was happening? I was was so freaking confused, I thought he was talking about several different people and I was so lost, lmao.

[@DepressoDad]

@@lilacpen8678 Nope! Alchemy is genderfluid and seems to use any and all pronouns.

[@PWNDON]

as another trans person id also like to contribute that i too would like to be a shapeshifter if we talked superpowers or the power to mind read or the power to talk to any and all creatures at will but shapeshifting is still high priority. theres probably really messed up and uncomfortable things in some peoples minds and i dont need to talk to my cat

[@aries_fire2727]

I have this funny scenario in my head where after River realizes her prosthetic legs are actually really heavy she eventually accidentally kicks off one of them and it hits Heartless in the face and she’s worried and terrified that she might’ve accidentally killed him, but then Moira or Alchemy reassuring her by simply saying “Don’t worry, he’s fine.” Since Heartless is undead.

[@Alex-km9tt]

please lmfao- this comment section is amazing

[@faithcatalan6479]

omg that is hilarious!!

[@thedyingmeme6]

River: *kicks Heartless* Heartless: *falls* River: OMG ARE YOU OKAY!? Moira: Yes they're fine, get up! *nudges Heartless*

[@aries_fire2727]

@@thedyingmeme6 🤣 Yes! That’s perfect.

[@user_murrow2005]

@@thedyingmeme6 Heartless: *lays there for 5 minutes wincing*

[@nanni0580]

Imagine Flint and Eira telling everyone that they're dating and everyone else is like "Yeah. We know."

[@L0rdOfThePies]

Pfft- 🤣

[@epitome-]

“wait- you just started?” “…weren’t you already dating?”

[@CatchThesePaws]

ASHTRDHSFHFD YES

[@jellybeanz0904]

Alchemy’s reaction either has to be getting bet money from Doppel over this particular situation (lol) or just looking confused. “You mean, you weren’t already together before?”

[@CheriePie14]

“…wait you _just_ started dating?”

[@Nala_2142]

Interesting that Doppel and Glass are purple. Especially when they come from a rich family. It works very well that purple is usually the symbol of royalty. Works out.

[@kindagoodatartmaybe]

Fun fact: the rose petals for alchemy actually represent the fact that I'm falling in love with him

[@broblerone413]

mood

[@BeauxBeetles]

you're not the only one

[@PANPINofficial]

Aren’t we all falling for them?

[@tobythompson3746]

i want to be them

[@broblerone413]

@@tobythompson3746 yeah that too

[@imagem9361]

I can just imagine Doppel and Glass getting into an argument and going “Stop copying me!” At the same time😂😂

[@nayanahedemark5432]

peak sibling representation tbh

[@emilrojas7052]

And someone else like “you both are really similar” and both of them shouting at the same time “we aren’t!”

[@Ilicia16]

not Doppel and Glass doing the Spiderman meme

[@Akiro_Mahe]

@@Ilicia16 i can imagine it so much😂😭

[@chokoti7736]

THIS WHOLE THREAD HAS ME DYING AHAHAHHA

[@medicmist]

Flint giving River and Eira a "find yourself" speech and then teaching them how to use their powers in different ways sounds like a legit episode or arc

[@CanThisCrab]

I'd so very wanna see that

[@suns-shadey]

River being sort of overwhelmed but on board and Eira being severely overwhelmed and Not At All on board through the whole thing.

[@waningmoons]

Like I’d literally pay to see that😭

[@tacossmiley]

River gains respect for flint through it, Eria gains crush

[@lnoths]

It’s their avatar sequence!

[@joaomaues19]

I just LOVE that Eira's weapons would be the only ones that Lance would not be able to keep with his curse, because they'd just melt away the nemesis layering, oh god

[@merobiba413]

plus Eira could just create another weapon if Lance steals it!

[@cyberfoxen4424]

Maybe once River starts realising the potential of her magic, she studies magical history looking for someone that had a similar magic to find a name. And when she's getting frustrated because she can't find anyone, Alchemy suggests naming it after herself since it's clearly unique, could align with a personal growth within River that she can be herself, she doesn't have to follow the standard way (maybe learnt from a lifetime in a magical city trying to keep itself safe from the jury, with leaders and protectors trying to keep the old ways that have worked and refusing to change because what if the changes fail?). While travelling, River starts to realize change and standing out isn't so bad. Eventually leading to her naming her magic Dial and customising her uniform

[@Limepopsicle07]

Holy shit that’s so good! I love that idea so much. The journey to find oneself is one we all make at some point, and having a character who hasn’t come into that yet getting guidance from one who has is awesome! I try to be the kind of push people need to get out of the boxes and find who they really are, and Alchemy already spoke to me so much, but now I love them even more. River deserves all of the love!

[@macroreyn]

Okay, hear me out. Doppel overhears his parents talk about turning him in due to his powers. So he uses his powers that he really JUST started getting a hang of. He tries to create a fake him so he could sneak off, but Glass turns out to be a part of him and not just a reflection given form. So now they're both on the lamb.

[@ShadowMor00]

Oh! What if (if they do come from the poor part of town), his parents were considering turning him in exchange for enough money to move to the richer parts of town?

[@DollFaceThornback]

@@ShadowMor00 nooo why'd you have to make it sadder???

[@unova_vices]

Okay but River and Alchemy sharing a room having a sleepover vibe and Alchemy hyping up River up confidence wise or River asking out the childhood friend Heartless and the Doppels bouncing about happily and sneaking into the others' rooms to scare them/hang out

[@ThezillyestIdiot]

Na heartless be jumping up and down while dopple be telling glass and him the plan

[@Bosstoaster]

If I might offer a suggestion to up some stakes: The power from curses might need to be drawn (at least originally) from a naturally born Witch's ability. You have to kill them in a specific way, and you essentially gain either their powers or a warped version of it. So with the Wonders division, you have the risk of being killed by them, but even worse, you have the risk of being killed, and your own magic being used to hunt others. This would also match Heartless's need to draw energy from around him: that way, magic isn't created, it's only transferred. The only way to get more in large quantities is from elsewhere - where you choose to get it and what sacrifices you're willing to make would be up to the person in question.

[@xxkaedexx8068]

this is a really cool idea ! I hope that he will see and use your idea !

[@colinehasaki]

Das dark

[@L0ver0fHumanity]

Ah-la Tokyo Ghoul style (the weapons used to hunts ghouls are made from ghoul parts. There's actually a scene where a little ghoul girl is being targeted and the very weapon being used against her is made of parts from her dead father)

[@Bosstoaster]

@@L0ver0fHumanity I was specifically thinking of Mistborn, where some bad guys gain powers by putting spikes through people to kill them, and that steals their powers, but that is also an example

[@NaBa.O3O]

Everyone please bump the original comment up with likes so Abd will see it

[@carlybrown3263]

A fun way to continue "Concept Corner: Heartless" could be making a small (less than 5 page probably) comic with the characters! Add panel layout to Concept Corner, and talk about character interactions! You could also design their rooms...I can guarantee we'll all enjoy that and it would probably take less planning than a scene/dialogue 👀

[@Hopelesscandies]

The room idea is so cool!

[@Glareflare]

Room designs would be really interesting to see

[@tudoemaisumpouquinh1]

OOh, really fun ideas! I'd love to see those!

[@gart005]

Oh yeah. I wanna see their rooms lol

[@poprocks6576]

Yes big should be falling over house design mordrid manor style would be so fun

[@kasomosi7145]

I feel like Alchemy's "voiceline thing" would be something along the lines of "It's showtime", before they go all out with real flashy magic and stuff.

[@kaboom3487]

AAAH I love the idea of them having catchphrases when they use their magic like in genshin impact

[@fantasyshadows3207]

*does the p5 all out attack*

[@ohforyll]

I’d absolutely love if Alchemy went “It’s showtime!” and then started showtiming all over the place 🤲

[@redrevelry]

Gotta say I love the concept of the fire-themed character being the patient, more passive one, and the ice-themed character being more uncontrolled and more likely to lash out. It's a nice reversal of expectations and made me think of a cool way to describe them- "fire like a hearth, ice like a blizzard"

[@sugaryoffline]

One thing I love about Hermes being an inspiration for River's design is that the staff we see used for medical, his Cadeuceus, is not actually the staff of medicine! Its been mixed up and misconstrued as the Asklepian, a staff wielded by the god Asclepius who is associated with healing and medicine. This almost directly mirrors the fact that River's power has been mistakenly categorized by those around her as 'just a healing power' until she goes out and obtains more knowledge and finds out its not really a healing power by category at all. Its probably completely unintentional but oh my gosh is it such a great and befitting coincidence and I will forever adore it.

[@berryxvxnilla2375]

I always love unintentional things that tie everything together like this.

[@commanderriptide7723]

I feel like Filnt and Eria would have a split room and whenever Eira gets mad his half just freezes over with spikes and Flint just has to melt it so the whole room doesn't freeze over.

[@jake_x24i]

I feel like Eira would be able to learn a lot from Flint considering Flint started off fearing his abilities. The idea of them sharing a room does sound fun though 😄

[@BaobhanloreArt]

As a neurodivergent person, I found that alongside the whole patterns and numbers thing with River, her magic being mislabeled and trying to figure out who she truly is sounds a lot like the journeys most ND women, girls and AFAB/feminine presenting people go through. Since most studies on neurodivergence are performed on cishet white boys. So that whole experience sounds very relatable.

[@ABDIllustrates]

aah I was so unsure if I'd be able to convey it properly by just talking about it in-video, but that is very much the vibe for River!! Really happy to hear that theme comes across as intended 💖💚

[@laraschroeder5195]

@@ABDIllustrates Alex bro your storybuildings amazing! I’ve already thought of like 3 different headcanons and wrote an entire ass scene with Flint and Eira (with a bit of gay) somewhere in the comments. River absolutely sees Flint as a teacher figure right?

[@tacossmiley]

Something that could be cool that can lend itself to River figuring out that she has more then healing magic could be subconsciously controlling something overstimulating her. If there is a bunch loud noises she could quiet them, a coat that’s too light and uncomfortable could become heavy and more textural appealing, I don’t know if brightness or saturation is apart of this invisible control but decreases saturation of something to make it’s easier to see could be a possibility. This may be difficult to implement as it sounds a bit heavy handed but I think sound is often a big thing with people that struggle with sensory issues (often neurodivergent people have sensory issues like myself) and since River can cancel out the singing lady it may make sense that she is used to having to cancel out sound for her sensory issues.

[@mathilda6763]

Right? *I love her*. usually I have a bit of a difficulty connecting with characters because either they're too different from me to relate to or they're too similar and because of that I kinda...dislike them (I know it's not healthy pls leave me alone). RIVER IS SO COOL!! I love her power, I love her legs and I REALLY love her overall design. It's also interesting because the way her power (or in RL neurodiversity) is known to her is by how people from the outside see her behaviour/powers diverging from the perceived norm, similar to a lot of neurodivergent brain types being defined by how they seem to the outside (ADHS- >"can't concentrate and sit still syndrome") in comparison how the strength, difficulties and differences might be experienced from the person inside. I also like her being very logical and scientific about it. I would love to a read a short comic about her methodically testing the limitations of her powers once she has the inkling that there could be more. Like...her researching her butt off to find out more about similar powers or understanding why the way her teachers say her powers work do not fit together with her own experiences through the years. Like her doing something a classmate with a assumed-similar power can't do or would approach very differently. Or some random bit where she lowered the sound of a teacher's voice, because they where distracting her from her studies... Ohh this girl has so much fun story-telling potential! (edited, because typos)

[@laffinggas8068]

@@tacossmiley Kind of remind me of Molly from Epithet Erased, long story short her power (Called an epithet, it's "a word tied to a persons soul that let's them do. . . stuff"). is called "dumb" and it let's her simplify and mute things. In one scene she get's overstimulated (Or something akin to) and creates a bubble of silence around herself.

[@thestranger954]

Again. I think a great twist should be that, in fact, Dopple is the reflection and Glass is the original. I love the idea of Dopple constantly looking for a way to undo his mistake and get rid of Glass, only for it to be revealed that Glass created Dopple. Like, he was this scared kid, alone in a world that never wanted him with nobody to look out for him, so, one day, he wished that he could have someone else by his side. Someone brave, funny, and confident. His opposite. Now that he has him, he doesn't wanna let him go, no matter if he's weaker. He loves his brother.

[@Ramblys_Tea_Party]

I love this so much!!!

[@peterkonyar4946]

I actually like the idea of the villains having “curses” and still hating magick, like they blame witches for their curses

[@javencummins1426]

Yeah.

[@Ilicia16]

I would like the idea of the villains would have possibly gone down the "hero magician" route if it weren't for tragic events that occurred to make them into the "cursed" villains they are now

[@nicoletfirkins8347]

maybe because of how similar curses seem to magic lots of people would mistake them for witches, and eventually they get taken in by the megestrum where they are officially announced as not witches. or maybe the origin of curses can be from witches like “a powerful witch once cursed (get it😏) humanity” or something

[@yukino017hananana2]

I'd like to think that the spell for Doppel IS actually reversible, it's just that it's responding to Doppel's feelings of not wanting to be alone, to be lonely, to have someone that he can trust. That's why both Glass and Doppel has no idea how to reverse the spell, the subconcious feeling of not wanting to be lonely is affecting the magic and making it "irreversible". Glass and Doppel are 2 halves of a whole, and that whole one person didn't want to be alone, so they split themselves into 2 and *kept* it that way. (a bit of LOL inspiration from The Kindred) Another is that it could be that Doppel didn't want to acknowledge the fearful part of himself that is always scared, frightened of the future, the "cowardly" part of himself, thus strengthening the split. Maybe Glass was made because when Doppel saw himself in the mirror, he saw the cowardly version of himself that was scared. Now that time has passed by, it might be that the two of them really can't reverse it, because both of them have grown as their own person despite the reflection thing. Feels like Doppel and Glass would play off each other in a very interesting way and more symbolic way if it was true though.

[@SakuWasHereFirst]

Okay but the idea that the reason it hasn’t been reversed is because they don’t want to be alone and it’s linked to Doppels emotions can lead to the possibility that once their properly apart of the group and don’t feel alone anymore…the spell would reverse all on its own….so possible angst of losing glass near the end lol

[@Claire-h4nt]

@@SakuWasHereFirst Nooo that's so intense and heart wrenching... Perfect for a story like this!

[@makkabeech]

Omg, when you said his dad was a blacksmith my immediate thought "And accepting his magic is him going home....." and i got emotional

[@snowflake-gacha.I_writestories]

The: "and they were roommates" picture of that vine, sent me. Great 100/10.

[@talkingcowthatwasthereallalong]

"Eira and Flint are roomates", we kinda saw it coming but I personally still went bananas over this. Bless you and your hands that make everything gay(er).

[@michaelio6548]

Oh my god they were roommates

[@elizabethferrington9828]

@@michaelio6548 "And they were roomates" "Oh my god they were roomates"

[@TheLostTVRemote]

oh, same. my excitement over this was immesurable xD

[@jellybeanz0904]

THE POTENTIAL FOR SCENES THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR MORE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT INVOLVING EIRA USING THIS AS A WAY TO SET THEM UP HAS ME NEAR SOBBING.

[@elizabethferrington9828]

My brain has decided that I need to share what I think each protagonists favorite soda would be so here we go Flint: He seems like a coke guy Eira: We're already pretty similar so let's just continue the pattern and make him like diet pepsi Heartless: I feel like he'd go for sprite I just have the feeling he likes lemon lime sodas Alchemy: I think they'd like fanta but I don't think he'd stick to one kind I think she'd like all of them Doppel: If this man doesn't have a root beer addiction I will be very confused Glass: Probably cherry pepsi idk why I just think he'd like cherry pepsi River: Either mountain dew or sprite it's gotta be one of those I just don't know why

[@super-sizedmcshizzle6235]

I love Fanta and Alchemy is my favorite character in this story so I would like to thank you for this XD

[@epitome-]

river is giving me major ginger ale vibes and alchemy 100% likes sodas with absolutely absurd flavors

[@joeprovo3627]

If Doppel were a root beer addict, I'd sit next to him, Hell, I'd even voice him.

[@ThezillyestIdiot]

I also a root beer addiction sooo I feel noticed

[@berryxvxnilla2375]

This is now canon in my mind.

[@chlorine6539]

Love the idea of Heartless releasing a massive blast of magic towards a bad guy, who just barely dodges it and is like "You got some serious fire power there, kid!" but as the dust settles he sees just Heartless snoring on the floor.

[@peak-male-perfomrance]

comedy gold right here

[@slayer_z4754]

Eira and flint ship vibes; “And they were roommates.” For real tho I think a ship between them would be the most wholesome supportive shit ever, just Flint helping eira feel comfortable with his magic and helping him calm down to ✨channel his magic ✨(insert martial arts movie stereo type here) would be really cute

[@Ilicia16]

They would be such a wholesome couple and I'm here for it

[@BeauxBeetles]

@@Ilicia16 I second this!!

[@bonnietelocole6777]

Eira: *panicking about how little control he has over his powers* Flint: "Y'know, for a guy with ice based powers, you don't seem very chill."

[@brighteyes6929]

ABD: *Talking about River needing things to make sense to her in certain ways involving her interests* Me: Hello my new AHC (Autistic Headcanon Character).

[@supernovayt2005]

omg yes that was exactly what I was thinking

[@mintythedragonwitch6652]

FUCK YEAH

[@Scalesthelizardwizard]

As an Autistic person, I'm here for it

[@mefovarka]

i imagine that in flint’s school of arts, the final thing to do before becoming a full-fledged graduate is finding your move, that’s personal to you and only you. flint’s “newfound move that can’t be taught” could be an improvement to his polaris when he concentrates so much that he can fight with his eyes closed. make it a cool scene in an important battle and voila - coolest character ever

[@arthurdias6860]

it could be named after the sun or something like that, even be named after a god of the sun. Maybe it could be named: Solvic school of the sun roads wandering arts; Self path: Horus

[@potatopotayto8332]

oh my god these suggestions are so genius!!

[@jelwolf8929]

@@arthurdias6860 Building on that, maybe it could be based on a sun dial, which is kinda like a fire compass almost

[@jelwolf8929]

Building on the sundial concept I just mentioned because I got more ideas, maybe it's based on a sundial in which he can predict the next moves of his opponents, like Polaris but moreso, but he can only see it with his eyes closed still, so that cool eyes closed battle scene can happen too, but it's fire and compass based and a little different than Polaris

[@mefovarka]

@@jelwolf8929 omg sun dial that’s so cool

[@__zofix__4390]

5:58 ME. I’m a potential reader. I’d read this. No seriously if it EVER comes out as a webcomic or something, I’m GOING TO read this

[@riverivy6628]

SAME lol

[@cCyberDragon]

Yeah me too! I would love to read this!

[@QuestariumMadness]

Heck yeah!!!

[@BeauxBeetles]

Me two!!

[@the_sky_is_blue_and_so_am_I]

Same just as long as it's free 💀

[@johnmobley9369]

As a black boy with anger issues, i Stan the emotional dis regulation. Yes he was angry but it’s for a good reason, not to stereotype. I really find the theme of rage stemming from something you don’t completely understand about yourself. Anything done well is well great. I’m v excited to see flint. I just love being able to say I was here. I just know this project will blossom & bloom.

[@grampops7203]

You mentioned that your big baddie is very physically sickly, which has prompted this thought; The Wonders sound alot like parasites, and his being more magically powerful would track with him being very sickly. Doc's is very buff, which would make sense as his parasite does block out alot of physical damage. Entirely possible it's an evolutionary dead end.

[@BasementCorvid]

Ok but this actually is such a cool take--

[@sethamederat5841]

that might end up in fantasy eugenics and disability as a sign of moral failure tropes very quickly

[@grampops7203]

@@sethamederat5841 I get where you're coming from there, yeah. But I think there'd absolutely be a good way of doing it, especially if it's just a "These exist, we don't super know what they are" kinda deal. And I think if you were to portray his physical sickness as a direct result of him using his wonder, paired with more positively represented disabled people, you could do it correctly. Perhaps if he was chronically ill otherwise, you could draw a clear line between what's a normal, not morally associated disability, and what's him getting ill as a result of the parasite.

[@CaffeeNated]

I mean that could work, but based on how the Jury treat mages, i think it might be a cool plot thread that curses are actualy Witch DNA injected into normal humans, like maybe there could a plot thread waaaay down the line that introduces the concept of "Conduits" or rather wild mages, those with magic so strong they can have multiple types of magic, and The Jury keeps one locked far under thier HQ, draining him of his blood into a fuge state, they then turn this blood into a Serum that gives normal people "Curses" basicly artifical magic brought on by the Super inherintaly magic blood, and while normaly this is just a temp stat boost and maybe a elemental buff, i imagine the jury devolped a Surgury that made curses permanant even if it drives some crazy

[@AbisexualCarpenter]

Maybe they are somehow alive and have a somewhat simbiotic relationship with their hosts

[@astroleros]

“I tried to give them all a pose that would look really cool as an anime figure” Me: *rubs my hands mischievously*

[@caspertheghost4458]

This shit almost made me wake up the entire house

[@flareon1368]

A couple of ideas; You mentioned how River's powers would be able to render Lorelai's useless, and on the previous villain episode you said that you created each villain as a foil to each hero. What if each hero had one of the villains as a foil and conversely each villain has one of the heroes as a foil? River's foil is Dock because he can cause injury to her and she can't heal it, and opposite to that he can transfer off all afflictions from himself yeah? Additionally he is narratively opposite to her. Then you say Lorelai's ability can be nullified by River's magic, and it gets me thinking, how interesting would it be if Lorelai was a huge threat to the group near the start of the story, and gives particular struggle to Doppel and Glass because she is their foil, but then River becomes Lorelai's foil much later? Someone else could be Dock's foil, someone else can be Diana's foil (like doppel and glass are a good contender because they could maybe throw off her homing abilities) and so on and so forth. This would also make Alistor an interesting main villain from the Jury because perhaps Heartless and Alistor are each other's foils, but Heartless needs to grow a lot before he is able to counter Alistor. Lots of interesting narrative parallels to explore here in my opinion. You also said that it could be cool if Doppel and Glass can use reflections, and maybe only one of them possess that power. What if their powers are literally split? Doppel could make more temporary "mirrors" of himself (he figures ut out after the failed attempt perhaps while trying to find a way to put Glass back. This can also tie into him being a foil for Diana by throwing off her perfect aim) and I saw someone else mention that Glass could literally be Doppel's reflection so the two don't have a reflection, well that could tie into Glass being capable of traveling through reflections/hiding within reflections. Each one could have individual powers/properties that when combined cod become an interesting stacked effect which is where the full potential of their powers come in.

[@BeingOfPureEnergy]

IT'S JUST A GIANT GAME OF ROCK PAPER SCISSORS!!

[@ephycs]

I think Heartless being "dead" would be a cool concept. He's fun and high energy, but what people don't know is that he's very reliant on his magic. He keeps it a secret, but from time to time he needs to absorb something to "eat".

[@thesunwillneverset]

I'm pretty sure that's literally the core concept of Heartless currently, yes.

[@pt6328]

regarding eira’s ability to hone his magic enough to create weapons and armor made of ice, i did get a vivid image of him and lance mid-combat with lance stealing his sword (via his own power), and when trying to use it against eira, eira would break it into shards and reform it back into a sword in his own hand.

[@leeschelly8384]

Oh my gosh, that would be really cool!!

[@justarandomfrogonyourlawn]

Ooo I always imagined it melting rapidly in others hands and almost melting in reverse back into Eira's hands!

[@pt6328]

@@justarandomfrogonyourlawn yeah that sounds sick!

[@rocksgio]

You know you read too much angst when seeing a character with a "twin" immediately makes you wish one of them would die tragically just for the emotional anguish it would cause

[@super-sizedmcshizzle6235]

Wait this exactly what I thought

[@-alovelygaycat-]

**Harry Potter flashbacks**

[@tri_iris6890]

Doppel finds out that they can merge by some witch, but is split (no pun intended) on being one again or not doing anything.

[@artisttota2253]

no cause when i first saw them I had a sickening feeling that one of them was gonna die/get absorbed so Doppel and Glass become one again.

[@ThezillyestIdiot]

Yes

[@sillykitty3904]

Ngl when I first heard of Heartless's magic, the words Gluttonous Ghoul for the magic name came into my mind

[@A-Dino-Named-Mennany]

A couple headcanons I now have: Heartless doesn't actually have magic, but is instead cursed. I feel like it'd make sense, given that his powers seem to relate directly to him being undead, maybe him being brought back to life was done by cursing him. And I think it'd be interesting for the main character's powers to be the same as the villains, and not the other heroes. Think of the _drama_ and _angst!_ Doppel's power works by turning something's reflection into reality, maybe by literally taking it out of a reflection. And because of this, Doppel and Glass don't have reflections, since Glass _was_ Doppel's reflection that he took out of a mirror, and can't put back. (To be fair I'm not sure how well that would work with the idea of them travelling through mirrors, but I'm just amused by the idea of them not having reflections).

[@epitome-]

on the travel: what if, when they (glass/doppel) travel through mirrors, they*only* show in the reflections? basically they could only exist on one side at a time, and it could create interesting first interactions/ambushes if one of them was in the mirror pretending to just be the reflection

[@epitome-]

they could also be able to influence people through their reflections by going through the mirror but that feels a bit overpowered

[@Thetis_009]

If Heartless's magick was actually a curse that would mean Creeds curse wouldn't work on him. It opens some interesting potential fights and interactions between the characters. Would Creed try to get Heartless to switch sides? How would the rest of the main cast react? Disgust? Curiosity?

[@lincolnjohn8227]

I think it's interesting, though magic being the thing that keeps heartless alive is pretty thematically important. And the idea that heartless is basically straight countered by Creed gives him a more threatening presence.

[@A-Dino-Named-Mennany]

@@lincolnjohn8227 That's true! I hadn't thought of that.

[@hanamiiart6004]

ABD in a dilemma if Heartless should be continued, as if we are all not already waiting for the Manga to finally be produced xD

[@Alex-km9tt]

fr like if i dont get a comic i might just die right here lol

[@pipedream2556]

I'm so genuinely curious about the story, especially what's up with the main character! ABD can't withold info bc it's "spoilers" when the actual storyline doesn't exist yet to BE spoiled, it's driving me nuts!

[@Here_have_a_Flower]

I would buy a whole series of this if there was a coloured comic as soon as it's released

[@iipyrosketch2477]

Me, watching Flint's section: "Y'know, it could be cool if flint and Eira could end up together. 'Cause- ice and fire. Haha, yeah.. >_>" Alex, in Eira's section: "That room could also be Flint's. And they could be roommates." Me: "Oh my god, and they were roommates. ;)"

[@annakahlisch3842]

Yes, I was looking for this comment

[@silverish9081]

@revelstay I feel like Flint would have too many braincells to actually be a proper himbo, but yes to everything else!

[@whiterose8775]

Flint would be a hunk as it says in the requirements of himboism.

[@cande3513]

it would be funny if river finally understands her power and she's like "man, i failed physics in school!"

[@jhamanrai]

Lmaooooo 🤣

[@colinehasaki]

xD

[@shoothead8106]

shes a nurse tho

[@cande3513]

@@shoothead8106 that uses chemistry tho

[@ssuncatcherr]

My idea for a cool name for Lorelei’s curse is “Songbirds Requiem”. For starters, her design is a lot more bird-like with the thin delicate limbs and facial features along with feathers and her “black swan” transformation rather than fishy aspects as associated with sirens. Secondly, it can lend itself to her deception in a couple of ways; she claims to be a gentle and assuming songbird but underneath the surface she is a bird of prey trained to kill and harm lying in wait. Another being how beautiful the name of the curse sounds what with its call to a songbird and a music type, however, requiems are songs meant for the dead. Its as if she would be giving any who hear her song a cruelly beautiful final gift before their demise and ultimately her own downfall, whatever that may entail. Last bit being that requiems tend to be called operas in disguise, which I think is a final added layer of correlation to her background there. Anyway, thats my brain going brr at ungodly hours finished! Thank you so much to anyone reading this and let me know your thoughts!! :D

[@juliagoldberg8594]

yessssss

[@BoredomBee]

God DAMN that's beautifully fitting!

[@sarahm390]

kore ga.... requiem da

[@yvidyainteriorsputtur]

To be honest,Her design actually fits the siren theme to a tea. Cuz in the original Greek myths,Siren is a creature half bird and half woman who lured sailors to destruction by the sweetness of her song.

[@lnoths]

You could also absolutely add in a line or two about shrikes. They’re songbirds, they look and sound just as cute, but they are some of the most vicious birds out there. Maybe she could even have a final move called Shrike, it even sounds like strike and shriek.

[@steelstar5590]

For Eira, I am just obsessed with the mental image of him almost getting shot by say a bullet or an arrow only for him to create a shield made of ice around his chest completely subconsciously. The thing he kept burrowed in himself for so long is what saves him

[@elizabethferrington9828]

like for a good while he can only do the sword, shield and armor thing subconsciously so he'll just be standing there and Diana or maybe a more minor villian tries to shoot him and there's just a big slab of ice in the way kinda like Gaara's sand but he just has no idea how he did it

[@thedyingmeme6]

Enemy: I'll get him this time Ice: The fuck you will *A R M O R*

[@alexjewett7455]

Do you mean a breastplate?

[@emmaowens7883]

I just imagine Flint being able to read Eira like a book right off the bat and Eira being annoyed but also endeared by Flint. 🤗🤗 I’m just imagining very very cute shippy moments between these two

[@l0opz32]

the idea of glass being the only one able to travel through reflections is really cute, I can see him being all anxious and worried in a fast paced battle only for doppel to shove him into a mirror or on a more wholesome note encourage him through it

[@oatchia]

i was thinking the same thing about eira. when he starts talking about his magic and gets asked what the name of it is, it would be so funny to me for him to be kind of freezing up* about what to say, and just say "ice powers? i don't know?" *pun intended

[@RayStarfruit]

Pun indeed intended.

[@DollFaceThornback]

Eira: wait your guys' magic gets names??

[@babblingbrooke321]

Ironically, I was not one of the people who suggested the name “Brooke” for the knight girl. So believe me, I jumped when I heard the name 💀.

[@ancientrosetta]

I love River's character!! As someone who is going into a STEM field, I think her power would be the most fun. My understanding of it was where Alchemy is the power to affect/change matter and tangible things, River can affect/control processes or forces! So it makes sense why she would involve herself greatly with the scientific theory behind her power, since it is the most common way by which to conceptualize it. (Also, maybe a long way into her growth as a witch, she could eventually go into the more nonscientific "forces" that affect people - dialing down emotions? I think it might be harder for her to grasp as it isn't something that fits her standard model (and perhaps morally questionable) but it could be interesting!!)

[@ariamelody5560]

This is exactly my line of thought too! I love the idea of the emotions too!

[@nerdybirdnerd916]

Okay but Consider: if Lance uses his powers to hoard weapons and Eira's father was a Smith then Lance could have a stolen weapon forged by Eira's dad

[@Jitterbugging_]

...what if Eria went after Lance in an effort to take the stolen item back (Because ego) and Lance instead switches out the item from his hoard (Which I assume is like a dnd inventory?) to something so much more dangerous and just... destroys the smith shop with Eria's dad in it? Eria would blame himself for his dad's death for SO MANY YEARS and then in some one on one battle with Lance, Lance just casually admits he was going to destroy the shop anyway? Like, all Eria did was delay the destruction for what, 5 minutes?

[@wholesomemusic9]

It'd be funny if lance summons one of the weapons from Eira's dad and Eira exclaims "Hey that's my dad's logo"

[@thelittleredhairedgirlfrom6527]

@@Jitterbugging_ that’s perfect for the Princess Bride vibes

[@kanelinden9400]

I have a headcanon. Heartless’s ghouls can appear without Heartless using his magick and talk to him but no one else can see them without Heartless using his magick

[@zleepyissheep4219]

that sounds adorable

[@ogcolumbinakinnie6556]

Running gag: Many of his teammates get used to the sight of Heartless muttering to nothing over the course of the series, but only during a/the Shonen Power Up Moment do they realize he’s been telling the ghouls to stop bothering him the whole time

[@daintydoodles5866]

Heartless and his ghouls are so freaking cute!!

[@megangrant4124]

I really like that idea

[@jellofeather2617]

@@ogcolumbinakinnie6556 yes

[@zofifi7549]

If River can amplify energy, those that mean she can power up Heartless? Since his main weakness is low battery, they could have very strong combos together. (Also I would gladly hear more about villians powers.)

[@quantumbun3140]

I can just picture Heartless having a conversation with his ghoul friends, as if he’s talking to himself-

[@MissSolaris]

Flint being unable to handle hot weather + Eira's ability to conjure ice armor + Both are himbos + "And they were roommates" = Uh, I hope we get this interaction sometime where Eira makes cold ice armor when the gang goes to a desert

[@saffronsagodlyherb5838]

Flint: *finishing up a rly deep talk with eira* Eira's mind: woah... thats deep Eira: Shut up man and finish painting my nails

[@ariamelody5560]

Lol I see this happening during a blackout or when they’re alone

[@casualmanticore2758]

Flint: Hello, roommate! Eria: OH NO HE'S HOT

[@PixieNekoChan]

This ^ Yes.

[@janina8574]

I need this to be canon

[@neilcicieregamybel0ved]

literally!

[@ThezillyestIdiot]

Flint: why are you in my room? Eira: alchemy told me this is my room. Flint: I guess we’re roommates Eira: NO

[@scribbledoll4382]

It's really cool how both Heartless and his main antagonist both sort of 'take' powers. Then Eira can 'make' weapons and shields and Bastard Man can 'take'/'hoard' them!

[@marsruby1112]

BASTARD MAN

[@kristinalindsey23]

Calling Lance “Bastard Man” is just the best thing ever

[@saffronsagodlyherb5838]

pov: they'd just won their first fight, pretty exhausted and pumped Alchemy: WE F*%^&£$CKING DID IT! Heartless: YEAH! Alchemy: LET'S GO GET SOME FOOD! Heartless: YEAH! *gets struck by lightning and collapses* ... Heartless: *sits up, raises both hands up Everyone: YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@elizabethferrington9828]

This made me choke on my soda but I'm not even mad about it it's just that funny

[@theskiesarebluetrustme]

Gives off “YES BITCH SLAYYYYY” energy and I’m all for it

[@wallflower8116]

Heartless: 👍💀👍

[@Misty_Grey744]

I love this comment section so much. 🤣💀

[@moon7shinev150]

I’ve fallen in love with this running gag of Heartless constantly being struck by lightning

[@hayhay509]

doppel making glass on purpose just makes my thought of "the magic deleting jury member catches glass and is confused as to why he disappears" hurt even MORE and i LOVE IT

[@kmclaughlin4837]

Doppel yelling at the enemy: FOR THE LAST TIME! WE DONT USE THEY/THEM PRONOUNS BECAUSE WE’RE NONBINARY!! WE USE THEY/THEM PRONOUNS BECAUSE WE’RE LITERALLY TWO B******!!!!

[@timealoukota1687]

Comment of the Year

[@elizabethferrington9828]

@@timealoukota1687 I agree K mclaughlin take these: 👑🏅

[@mosshealy3280]

Doppel and Glass using he/they very literally

[@BeauxBeetles]

love that for them

[@whateverandapathystudios9736]

First of all Doppel & Glass are the most aesthetic members of the crew. Second of all. Doppel out here being the older brother figure of the two who wants glass to be more confident like him and Glass is just like “But you’re so much better than meeeee!!!!”

[@cookiedrawsanime4239]

Doppel responds like: Glass, we're the same person.

[@misslady2639]

"You ARE me!"

[@juliandersen3444]

“Morning glory” for Flint’s power name, when ya said his family helped him I couldn’t help but imagine sweet fire nicknames for him like sparky, little firefly, little firelight. So “morning glory” after a type of punk aka sparkling stick, but also because ya said his moves were gonna be named after directions and time of day; “morning” is when a Journey starts and “glory” is what he wants for his family ^^

[@Ste-GAY-saurus]

What is Eira uses those pet names as nicknames for Flint

[@juliandersen3444]

@@Ste-GAY-saurus uuuu yus, it could be something he picked up after they go viste Flint's family and Flint just never corrects him ^^ (Eira is the only one ourside Flint's Family which Flint alouds to call him that)

[@epitome-]

I want eira calling flint “little firefly” so much now omg

[@kasomosi7145]

Do you know Diluc? I feel like he could just shout out something like 'Dawn' and just be insanely cool.

[@CORAJAE]

sparky sparky boom man

[@Hey-Its-Dingo]

I love the idea of the Fire guy being the cool, calm one, and the Ice guy being the hotheaded, angry one.

[@cloverstar8572]

I just remembered the same between Zoro and Sanji in one piece where Zoro was badly injured and still in a fight and Sanji ran up in front of the villain and said “kill me instead of Zoro” and Zoro proceeded to knock out Sanji and Sanji woke up somewhere completely different and and immediately got worried and started running around looking for Zoro and I completely see Flint and Eira doing this

[@safidraws]

I like that idea for Doppel, what if he made Glass because he needed a partner for a heist and didn't trust anybody else, however the reason Glass isn't going away is Doppel's loneliness and inability to open up to people, meaning that despite him claiming he wants Glass gone, in reality he has some major attachment issues. That would be a interesting thing to work through for his character

[@NattIsHere4]

I love the idea that maybe Heartless’s companions don’t know that he’s dead and they find out the hard way during battle when he like almost dies- and uses his magic at full force and like kills all the plants around him in a giant thing to protect his friends Edit: more ideas just appeared!! Maybe he could also talk to his ghouls so like when ever he’s alone he has someone to talk to!

[@tas6244]

THAT ENDCARD IS SO SICK. everything ending in a 'heart' shape and the animation was such a nice touch.

[@cobaltcat4227]

I love the idea of flint sensing the flow the magic just to find heartless “eating” away

[@jellybeanz0904]

I can imagine a scene that involves the newly-inducted party member Flint using that move of his(and like you said, seeing Heartless’ magic ‘feeding’ off of the energies around the group?) and low-key freaking out about it in his head like as a comedic moment- But the fact that he was struck by lightning just ten minutes before then... It doesn’t really surprise him, after he remembers that and how unaffected Heartless was over that sudden surge of energy. Perhaps later on, Heartless feels a bit more inclined to talk about it with the full party (I imagine before then he wasn’t really keen to tell other people about the whole being *undead* situation and how that affects his magic), and Flint is one of the few that says, “So... This wasn’t already obvious to the rest of you?” Lol. I adore these characters and the potential that they have!

[@flounderingfish2480]

@@jellybeanz0904 Heartless: I’m… I’m an undead Flint: We been knew but alright Everybody Else: NO??? WE BEEN NOT KNOWING???

[@jellybeanz0904]

@@flounderingfish2480 YEAH LMAO-

[@Adeyume]

Imagine Heartless's ghouls copy a healing magic, and he just YEETS it at an enemy and powers them up 💀

[@vibrantglitch5722]

Oh thx man I stubbed my toe so that helped a lot!😜🫶

[@centipede.k33f]

I feel like this would be a good scooby do moment where the gang just realizes what Heartless did and it would be an oh shit run away moment. I feel like mostly Dopple and Alchemy clown on him then Eiras like, "we need a plan quick," and Flint just always backs him up in missions so much it gets annoying.

[@thedyingmeme6]

Kicks it like a fucking soccer ball lmao like "HERE YOU GO"

[@ThezillyestIdiot]

Imagine it was doc

[@Blanch590]

Heartless has such an interesting power! I love the idea of this dude sending his little pet ghoul buddies to bite and enemy, then kick them into battle. It’s both hilarious in concept, and cool in practice.

[@sannekimenai639]

With every character I'm like "ok that one is my favorite now" and then THE NEXT ONE IS AS BREATHTAKING STOP MAKING SUCH AMAZING ART

[@sannekimenai639]

and their backstories too i love these characters

[@mosshealy3280]

HELP SAME

[@bttmofthebrrlstudios]

If you end up dissatisfied with "Combustion" might I suggest "Firestriker"? Not only can it be literal, but it's also the name of what a flint is struck against to create sparks! Seems appropriate xD

[@abracadaver8949]

whenever heartless kicking his ghouls around is mentioned i can’t help but imagine that they make the same sound that a red kickball does